Welcome Thomas! I'm not from the area but I'm sure someone will give you a good recommendation. Good on you for making a decision like this!! There is a wealth of info online nowadays, so teachers aren't even absolutely necessary.

Good luck!!

Welcome gibby!

There's no such thing as too old, just too lazy. As for teachers, have a look on Gumtree as a start or pop in at Paul Bothners at N1 city - they normally have a list of teachers in the area.

haha thanks a lot!

I will definitely check out the Paul Bothner @Metal Lick.

@MikeM, I would try learning on my own but I just feel I need the little push to build up my confidence and enthusiasm.

Thanks guys!

T

Welcome gibby.
+1 on the title of this thread, i've never even had a bash at GH, always recon i could spend the time to actually learn to play the song.
As for learning on your own, youtube has tons of info, a good place to find stuff you want to play, you can always find a teacher when you have the basic open chords down.

PS get a tuner
They are worth their weight in gold when you start out.

Noted!

As I have never touched a 'real' guitar before...does anyone have recommendations on what kind of guitar (+tuner) I should get?
I will pay Paul Bothner a visit to purchase a guitar sometime this week, and I would like to go in there with atleast something in mind.

Ok lemme be honest, there's this lady I would like to serenade...
I need to do this! I'll buy you guys a round..

first time guitar buy is complicated, get an acoustic, and get something you like the look of, you wont play it much if you think its ugly.
Tanglewood make pretty decent guitars, played another forum members for a bit, nice and bright.
Depends alot on budget too. More help from more members please.

gibby wrote: Ok lemme be honest, there's this lady I would like to serenade...
I need to do this! I'll buy you guys a round..

throw us a bone here man! give us an idea of what song or songs you'd like to serenade your lady with. this will definitely help give us an idea what level you'd like to be at, and therefore establish a more-or-less timeline for you.

in terms of getting yourself a first-time guitar, i'll always suggest getting yourself the best (note: not most expensive) guitar you can afford. and go looking with someone who knows what to look for. this might be your teacher, when you find one, a friend (you might even be lucky and find someone from here to help you), or even a really good and helpful sales person, but the latter is less likely to happen than the two former. also look in the second-hand market for better-priced and value instruments, but if you do definitely make sure someone who knows what they're looking at looks with you.

some brands to look at include tanglewood (already mentioned and +1), cort, yamaha (steel strings and nylons, although the really good nylons tend to be more expensive), plus a whole bunch more. set a budget and be prepared to look at guitars a little below this budget (you may just get a real bargain) and a little above (you may just get the deal of a lifetime). as far as tuners go, i'd recommend a simple clip on tuner, any make. you can leave it clipped on, and it should be cool for your needs for a good while.

good luck
dh